Silver Ball Bearings
by NavyBlueYouCallMeSexy
Summary: Clara's interactions with the Tenth Doctor and Rose, Clara saves everyone as per. Rose gets jealous, the Doctor is fab.
1. Chapter 1

Rose cursed as the Tardis shook and the dark blue nail varnish smudged across her little toe. She cleaned it up carefully. She never knew when she was going to be required to wear sandals; surprise beach trips, a civilisation where hiding ones feet was considered offensive- She didn't know. It was always good to be ready. And if the blue happened to match the Tardis exterior and the Doctors pin stripes, Rose didn't notice.

When Roses room trembled again, she glaced towards the door, wondering what the Doctor was up to. Probably messing with the controls again. Rose smiled to herself. He always put on a confident face when he was flying her, but Rose knew inside he was like a 15 year old lad in a Ferrari. In fact, that fake-confident was pretty much his average attitude in every day life and thankfully it was pretty calming and funny in the life threatening situation they always ended up in.

Of course, life with the Doctor was thrilling; but Rose had discovered there's a very thin line between adventure and disaster and that the Doctor enjoyed dancing along that line with very little grace. Somehow she'd adapted a strange calm to panicked and frantic voices when monsters were about, probably because the Doctor was always calm and ready with a solution. But when the Doctor is panic stricken and screaming across the Tardis, well, Rose had reason to worry.

His voice rang down the hall like a siren as the Tardis shook erratically. "Rose! She's- I can't- ROSE!"

So with bare feet hitting the floor hard, Rose ran through the halls to the Doctor. His panic was infectious and soon the distance between them was excruciating. It felt like the Tardis was making the corridors longer, she knew the route from her room to the console room was only short, yet her heart rate was skyrocketing and sweat beaded above her brow. "Doctor!" She shouted, thanking God she hadn't been in the shower when he called.

As she rounded the corner to the console room an alarm shrieked into life and Rose had to physically stop and cover her ears, cursing the Time lords' love of anything sonic. It was painful. Face tensed, eyes squeezed almost shut, she called out for the Doctor again.

He looked over at her with fear etched into his features, his chest rising and falling faster than humanely possible as he leant across the console, frantically twisting switches and pulling levers. Typing numbers and letters into the screen the Doctor shouted, "No, no, no No NO." He couldn't do it, he couldn't let it happen. He promised Jackie. With tears in his eyes, he stopped moving and let his forehead touch the console. Rose stood hunched in the doorway, gripping her temples. He would regenerate, he would survive, he always did. But did he want to survive without his companion? Not 'companion', his Rose. Lifting his fist he slammed it down on the surface, the sound lost under the alarm. The Doctor screamed silently, "Rose Tyler, I-"

A small hand covered his fist and the alarm fell quiet.

She was watching the Doctors lips moving as the woman appeared beside him. Rose stared at him, arms lowering from her hair as her ears rang. What was he just saying? The Doctor didn't give any explanation, he frowned, spinning to face the woman and after a moment of quiet his usual voice travelled clearly across the room. "Why hey-llo, explanation? That'd be great. I mean thank you-" he says, pushing her away from the console screen which she had been tapping "-but I don't believe I invited you in and to be honest the Tardis isn't usually so relaxed and forthcoming to strangers. Are you honey?" His hand lovingly traces a few buttons. "Actually.."

"Doctor?" She whimpers quietly. Feeling delicate and unsure of the sudden change from life and death to casual conversation. Was the danger over? Maybe Rose wasn't completely used to life with the Doctor just yet.

As if he had suddenly remembered her existence, the Doctor ran to Rose and wrapped his arms around her middle. "Sorry," he whispered, his head buried into her neck, "radiation thing, the Tardis- she couldn't regulate it- it was like someone had tweaked the system. I couldn't.." The Doctor's words slipped away into a comforting lull as Rose clung to him and watched the woman near the console over his shoulder.

She was mid twenties, brunette and petite with neat make up and a flattering red dress. She didn't appear very alien, in fact, she appeared quite similar to Roses own time. But then Rose knew not to judge from looks. The woman put her hands on the edge of the console and smiled a little, watching the Doctor and Rose from the corner of her eye.

"..so really it could be a series of factors." The Doctor finished, one hand in Roses hair, "Are you okay?" He asked, leaning away, concerned.

"Yeah," She mumbled, rubbing her eye a little and put on a brave smile as she let go of the hug. "Um, Doctor?" Rose said very quietly, still looking over his shoulder. "... That woman? She's still here."

"Hm?" His eyebrows raised almost comically, "Oh yes." He says, jumping away and back to the small brunette by the console, a blur of blue pinstripes. "You. You, you, you, you." He sang, finishing with a point almost touching the woman's nose, "Woman of..." He bent forward from the hips to sniff the woman loudly as Rose walked further into the room, smiling at his ridiculousness. "Earth, England, London.. 2013." He said, looking back at Rose pointedly, "You know her?" He winked.

Rose rolled her eyes, grinning, and touched the console. Not pressing anything or switching, just running her fingers over them, she could feel the Tardis appreciate it.

The girl raises her eyebrow a little, but doesn't comment, merely sticking her hand out as if to shake the Doctors hand. "Clara Oswald." She smiles.

Tilting his head, the Doctor offers his hand before quickly retrieving it and putting his thumb to his nose, wiggling his fingers and poking his tongue. Clara crosses her arms and bites back a smile, as if she expected he would do that, but it still entertained her. With a click of his tongue and a smile, he pulls the Tardis screen in front of himself placed his glasses on his nose and tapped a few times. "Cla-ra Oswa-ld," he says, wrapping his mouth around the sounds and extending them. "How then, Miss Clara, did you lay your little uncoordinated human hands on a radiation stabilising equation that bypasses the main functions for my lovely type 40 Tardis? I mean its an obvious solution which I had attempted, but didn't have nearly enough time to calculate the variables and.."

It was Clara who fixed the radiation problem? Roses head whipped up from her hands to Clara and to the screen and back. On the screen was a very long, very convoluted equation. Rose felt at that moment, like Lennie, from that book she read in school. It didn't help that Clara just shrugged. "It was a simple reversal. Or at least that's what I think you said. You told me a while ago about it." Oh great, another past companion.

The Doctor didn't even remember her. At least he remembered Sarah Jane, not that he ever spoke about her. Maybe I'll end up like Clara one day.

"Me? I- Oh, right." The Doctor had clearly worked something out in his head he had yet to share with the rest of us. Instead, he decided to play house, "Clara, Rose, Rose, Clara. Clara is my companion- well future mes' compan-"

"Rose?" Clara asks wide eyed, interrupting the Doctor, "You're Rose Tyler?"

"Dame Rose, actually, of The Powell Estate," she laughs doing a silly over exaggerated bow as the Doctor huffs a laugh, fiddling with the computer screen, "sorry, yeah, that's me." Rose says, a little bashful.

"It's so good to actually meet you! I've read so much about you and, well, heard so much, I mean I barely show up in his" she jerks a thumb at the Doctor, "and 9ths timeline because you're always around to save him." She laughs. Rose is more than a little lost, but she nods, used to trying to look intelligent while the Doctor is rambling at her. "11th regenerations companion." Clara smiles.

Roses heart drops and she can't help it from showing on her face. "I'm sorry, are you okay?" 11th regeneration. Her Doctor is going to die all over again. "I didn't mean to upset you," She'll be gone. There's no such thing as forever. "Rose?" This Clara is going to travel with him. Rose had discovered something much worse than past companions; future companions.

The Doctor could feel her unease and slid the screen away, turning to face Clara. When he made eye contact with Rose she bolted, straight out of the console room. Probably to the kitchen. He sighed.

"Is she okay?" Clara asked nervously, "Did I offend her or something?"

"She's fine, the Tardis will look after her." He says, eyes lingering on the doorway. He could feel the pull to run after her, but knew he shouldn't leave Clara here, for all he knew she started the radiation overload. "Why are you here Clara? And please, limit the details. I'm not fond of knowing my own personal future." He says seriously, taking his glasses off and thinking on what Rose was upset about.

"Yes, sure," she says, oblivious to his internal struggle. "Trensalore," she spit out as the Doctors face paled, "i suppose that word is enough detail. I'm actually just an echo of Clara, one of many throughout your lives. Rescuing, helping, encouraging certain events that need to happen. And well, reversing the damage The Gre- the bad guy- did." Clara explains, eyes scanning the equation again.

The Doctor nods, though he is only half listening, still wondering about Rose. "Okaaay, Echo. What are you still doing around? Surely you should disappear again now you have completed your function and subverted the threat." He pulled out his sonic and fiddled with it, scanning her quietly and finding that the readings agree with what she said.

Clara shrugged, "I assumed I was here to fix the engine, but I guess I might be here for a less obvious reason too."

Rose was stood staring into a mug when his hand touched her shoulder. "Rose? The kettle is done." She just sighed and reached for the kettle, pouring the water (which could now only be described as tepid) into the navy blue cup. The Doctor choked down a giggle, "You, uh, forgot the teabag."

Slamming the kettle down onto the counter, she tips the water into the sink and walked out of the kitchen. She just wanted a brew. Well, she wanted her mother, but a cuppa was the next best thing. She still couldn't wrap her head around herself being a past companion. What was her sob story? Would he abandon her in the Amazon rainforest? Say he was off to fight in another intergalactic war and never return? Her eyes watered and her vision of the hall blurred. He was going to regenerate again and she wouldn't be around for him. Where was she? She would never leave him, so that only left a couple options. She was dead or the Doctor had left her. Rose didn't know which was worse.

She could hear his converse catching up with him, damn his long legs, she needed some time to herself. Rose stepped into her room and shut the door, locking it quickly. Sighing, she leant back against the door and slid to the floor.

The knock on her bedroom door made Rose jump. "Let me in Rose, I'm sorry I laughed." Rose didn't move. "Clara is still here, but i can ask her to leave if you like. I can send her back to her time. If I'm honest i think she'll disappear on her own eventually... Rose please talk to me." Silence. A quiet whizzing noise sounded on the other side of the door and the lock thunked open, but before Rose could protest, the lock clicked back into place. As the Doctor twisted the handle unsuccessfully, Rose sent a quick thank you to the Tardis.

The Doctor frowned at the doorknob, then at the sonic screwdriver, before realising what had happened. Sinking down onto the floor and leaning against the door, the Doctor muttered, "I hate it when you two gang up on me. I mean really you're supposed to be my spacecraft," he said to the hallway, "what, you like her more?"

With no response from either of his girls, the Doctor rested his head on the door and sighed. Of course the Tardis loved Rose, the trusty old girl was an extension of himself after all. He wondered if she understood Rose, if she could interpret the many pheromones and emotions and expressions. He certainly couldn't. Human beings were so complex. Not as complex as Galifreians of course, but still incredibly complicated. For months Rose had been travelling with him and she flirted, she blushed, she practically filled the room with hormones if he stood too close. God did he enjoy that. But she had never said anything, not even in this new foxy body (who ever said that was Cassandra talking). Maybe he was misreading her.

Currently, Rose was radiating sadness and depression. Though familiar with these emotions, the Doctor felt perhaps Rose didn't want to speak to him for good reason. "Should i- do you want to go home to Jackie?" He asked, hoping Jackie could provide some comfort. Immediately Rose replied with a loud, "No!"

Rose felt sick. He was sending her home already. "I already told you, I'm staying with you." She said through the door, face pink as she held back tears.

The hall was quiet for a moment before the Doctor hushed into a worried response that Rose didn't really hear. "I wasn't saying that! I meant together! Visit her and maybe nip to the chip shop. Have a chat with Jackie. But y'know make sure she knows it wasn't me that made you upset because the last thing I need is another great slap from your mother-"

"Clara is from your future, she travels with you. What happens to me?" Rose asks meekly, biting her lip. Jackie always used to tell her off for doing that, it was a nervous habit though, she couldn't help it. It was uncharacteristically quiet on the other side of the door.

"I don't know." The Doctor finally answered, flatly.

"Bullshit." Rose mumbles, turning and kneeling up to face the door. "You know that girl is from your future, you know how she got there and why I wasn't- Doctor I'm not an idiot and I know you. Even through a bloody door. What aren't you telling me?" She asks, pushing hair behind her ears and crossing her arms, as if he could somehow see her pout.

"I'm not lying. I really don't know why you leave me. Or why she becomes my companion," it felt dirty hearing that, like cheating. "She said it was a complicated encounter, details left better unsaid-" Rose could almost picture him pinching the bridge of his nose, "she only told me a brief update about my time- her time. As it turns out, she, she appears not to be 'the next companion' after you. Apparently there are a few in between who-"

Rose stored the information about multiple future companions away in her head, there were more pressing matters. "'Why I leave you'?" Rose asks, confused.

"Um, yes, well, hypothetically of course, there are three very obvious reasons for your departure; Number 1, you... died," he choked out, "Number 2, you decide you want a normal life or you get bored or get scared into staying home. Number 3 is pointless even listing, because I would never leave you behind or send you home. I mean, besides situations where we're about to die." He quickly backtracks.

It suddenly makes perfect sense to Rose. There is a long silence where only the restless movements of the Doctor can be heard, until the door unlocks on its own. Clearly the Tardis understands too. The Doctor bursts through the door and holds her tight, arms locked around her waist. Rose buries her head into the familiar warmth of her Doctor and accepts her fate. She is going to die for him.


	2. Chapter 2

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," he whispers repeatedly against her skin. He's not sure if he's thanking her or the Tardis, but he's the grateful someone allowed him in. Rose just hushes him, running a hand through his hair as his hands run along her body. Scanning her for injuries of course. Checking she's okay.

"I will not be leaving you Doctor." She said calmly and clearly as he slowed, "Not ever." He stilled, his face in the crook of Roses neck. He reached the conclusion in seconds, but it seemed as though he was frozen. His hands slowly form fists, holding onto Rose so tightly she knew she would have bruises.

"I'll stop it. Whatever it is. I won't let it happen." He says harshly, his jaw tense, "I can't let it- time can be rewritten."

"I know better than most that isn't true." She said quietly, thinking back to Pete. Her selfishness had almost ripped a hole in time.

The Doctor leant back to look at Rose. Brave, strong, beautiful Rose.

She had brought him back to life, showed him the joy of happiness again. She had stared into the heart of the vortex, just as he had done when he was a boy, almost killed herself to find him and help him. She defeated the emperor Dalek, rescued planets, spieces, even rescued him numerous times- and yet she was still humble, kind and caring. She reminded him to show compassion when he was feeling particularly furious and upset. He dreaded to think what would happen without her. Nothing would stop him from destroying whoever he thought deserved it. Right now, noone seemed more deserving than the enemy that would take Rose.

Because they would take her. The Doctor knew Rose was right. If he were to rescue her, stop her from.. 'Leaving', Clara would never have appeared and stopped the radia- Clara. Clara was still here.

"Clara." He mumbled, jumping up and running out of the room.

The Doctor was leaning forward and looking deeply into Rose's face. She couldn't breathe. He was going to kiss her and her heart leaped; finally. She was falling into his eyes, muscles turning to jelly as she leant forward, cheeks pink.

"Clara." He mumbled, jumping to his feet suddenly and sprinting away from her.

Clara?

She deflated, shoulders dropping, air escaping from her lungs, eyes staring after him wide and disbelieving. It felt like Rose was a delicate piece of China the Doctor had lifted high and dropped, smashing to tiny sharp fragments.

Rose quickly build walls around herself, pushing all her upset into anger and self Doctor, of course, go out and run to the shiny new companion. The pretty, intelligent future companion.

Rose knew she was a little rough around the edges, she didn't have the cash for the best eyeliner unlike the perfect miss Clara and she was a little too self-conscious for dresses like that (how did she ever manage to run around in that thing?) and achieved the worst public school education London had to offer, never mind all those times she'd bunked with Shareen, but Rose didn't mind because she had the universe in her hands. Thoughts like this hadn't occurred to her in such a long time. She hadn't had to compete with anyone since... Renée Du Poisson. Rose rolled her eyes at the thought of that certain adventure and how sullen the Doctor was after they'd rescued him.

At least she never travelled with him.

Rose was curled in a ball on the floor next to her desk, pitying herself and swearing a little at thin air when the fairy cake hit her on the head. She looked up to her desk and frowned, Rose could've sworn the cake was on the other side of the worktop. So the Tardis was throwing stuff at her now? Lovely. Just what she needed.

She looked at the slightly squished fairy cake, it was fairly dry, the icing was the too-sugary-sweet kind that only Mickey liked and the paper had torn a little but it still looked good. It was from the street party in 2012, a few days ago. The small metal balls pushed carefully into the cake made Rose smile, he had been so obsessed with those silver ball bearings. It was the reason she'd kept it, to remind herself to grab a pot of them whenever she was home and surprise him with a cake. Not that Rose could bake, she'd hoped the Tardis would take care of most of it. She laughed to herself at the idea. Maybe she should just ask her mum to help, it'd be... Interesting.

The Doctor was right, maybe she did need a trip home, but not right now. Roses hand gripped the little fairy cake little too tight and climbed to her feet. The Doctor had almost kissed her and chickened out, run away. He had a tendency to do that with emotions when she first met him and she had helped him over come it and feel again. She thought he was fixed, apparently not. It was time Rose took things into her own hands. She placed the cake on her desk gently and left, heading for the console room.

Clara was sat in the jumpseat looking incredibly bored when the Doctor strode purposefully into the room, "I'm taking you home." He said quickly, spinning cogs and flicking switches.

Jumping to her feet Clara's eyes widened "You- you can't I'm just an echo- a fragment!" The Doctor glanced at her and back to his hands, smacking a button. He didn't want a new companion. Clara had to go home. She had made Rose upset and made her question how much the Doctor loved her. Of course the Doctor knew his future was uncertain and that Rose would eventually be gone, but Clara, she was walking talking evidence.

"You are leaving." He said stubbornly.

It seemed Clara had difficulty arguing back as out of the corner of the Doctors eye her mouth opened and closed repeatedly. "... Fine, okay, stop doing that, I'll go. I'll 'disappear' or whatever it is I do. I guess I've just got to finish what I came for."

The doctors hands stopped moving and his eyebrow rose as he looked at her, "You don't sound particularly confident."

Clara folded her arms and gave the Doctor her best bitch-face. "The Great In- the bad guy- caused the radiation overload, which would have caused you to regenerate.. and killed Rose." The Doctors jaw tensed, but Clara took no notice, "Maybe that's his game this time.. He wanted to get Rose out of the way? She's an important part of your timeline it would make sense.." The Doctor abandoned the console and leant back against the railings, watching Clara as she paced.

"With you around she already feels out of the way," the Doctor muttered, scuffing his dirty old converse on the grating. "Damn companions. I haven't had this issue in centuries."

Looking over at the Doctor, Clara stops. "That's why she's upset? Because.. She thinks I'm replacing her. Doctor that's it! You've got to show her that no one can replace her. No one ever will. I see it in your eyes all the time- well, they're different eyes, but they still think of her. I've met your wife and even she doesn't hold a place in your heart like Rose does," his wife? "Rose gave you life again after the Timewar and saved your butt a thousand times. But not just that, her laugh, her smile, her eyes.. You've got two little alien hearts; use them. Show her how much she means to you."

"You're very bossy aren't you." The Doctor half smiled after a short quiet. Clara just shrugged, looking over the Doctors shoulder.

She supposed the Tardis was the one that pushed her into the console room just in time to hear Clara practically shouting at the Doctor. "...no one can replace her. No one ever will. I see it in your eyes all..." Rose's heart was racing, but this time, she wasn't scared. Everything Clara was saying was right. It was what she needed to hear, granted, she would rather have heard it from the Doctor but Rose knew his emotional range didn't allow so much romance.

"...not just that, her laugh, her smile, her eyes.. You've got two little alien hearts; use them. Show her how much she means to you." Clara finished and for the second time that day, the Doctor was quiet.

Rose felt her feet moving without her permission. The Doctor was saying something to Clara but Rose didn't hear. This is why she wouldnt leave him, why she would die for him. She crashed into the Doctors chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled his face down towards her and hands in his hair, on the very tips of her toes, she kissed him.

The Tardis glowed. The Doctor was surprised, but pushed a hand into hair and one around her waist, pulling her close and kissed back, hard. When Rose moved away, the Doctor was rosy pink and his hair was messy. It was cute as hell. She beamed, her tongue poking out between her teeth and kissed him softly again.

He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment and Rose leant her head against his chest "She's gone." He said quietly.

Rose winced and rubbed her temple, where had that headache suddenly come from? "Who?" She asked, confused.

He frowned and touched his temple, "That girl.. The one who saved us? At least I think she did." Roses head was really pounding, she made a mental note to ask the Tardis for some paracetamol. And the Timelord equivalent, since the Doctor was holding his head too.

"Have you got a headache too?" Rose asked concerned, running a hand across his forehead.

The Doctor smiled and his features relaxed. "I'm alright," he said, "I just felt like we're forgetting something. I'll figure it out later, it can wait." He shrugged, leaning forward to kiss Rose gently.

Rose laughed a little and the Doctor looked at her questioningly, "I can't believe you just kissed me for the first time," she explained, "I mean even that incident with Cassandra was me/her kissing you."

The Doctor smiled cheekily and guffawed, "Well, maybe that's not exactly true." He winked, before wandering off out of the console room.

"What!" Rose shouted, running after him, utterly confused.

The Doctor chortled and grabbed her hand as they ran down the corridor, "Well you know that time on Satellite 5? Maybe I didn't do a little dance and the Daleks ran away..."


End file.
